Crazy 8s
Creativity technique for rapid idea generation.
PURPOSE
During ideation processes, teams tend to fixate on the first idea or discuss individual concepts for too long. Crazy 8s overcomes these blockages through forced speed and quantity. The method fosters creative thinking by shutting down the inner critic through time pressure.
HOW TO USE
Each participant folds an A4 sheet three times, creating eight fields. One idea or solution variant is sketched per field in one minute each, totaling eight ideas in eight minutes. Afterward, the ideas are shared within the team, discussed, and the most promising ones are pursued further.
WHAT IT IS
Crazy 8s is a creativity technique from the Google Design Sprint focused on rapid visual idea generation. The exercise uses a sheet of paper folded into eight fields and a strict time limit of one minute per field. It is part of the Sketch phase of the Design Sprint and is suitable for teams of any size.
EXAMPLE
Example: Your product team is looking for new onboarding ideas for your SaaS platform, but in brainstorming sessions the same two people always dominate. You use Crazy 8s: everyone folds a sheet into eight fields and sketches eight different onboarding concepts in eight minutes — from interactive tutorials to gamification approaches.